Shadow Brown Estuary
Shadow Brown Estuary: a dark split complementary palette of #7C634F, #684916, #01444E, #1F2743, #260D00. Deep, dramatic and immersive; best contrast 3.29:1.
A balanced palette of 5 colors drawing on brown, teal, purple, with a tight lightness range that stays soft and cohesive. Its lightest and darkest colors reach a contrast of 3.29:1, better for large type and decoration. Open any color for its conversions, shades, harmonies and contrast.
Colors
- ≈ Acorn#7C634F
A medium, muted brown (Acorn) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Very Coffee#684916
A dark, muted brown (Very Coffee) that brings craft and reliability. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Cold and Dark#01444E
A dark, muted blue (Cold and Dark) that brings trust and steadiness. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Black Market#1F2743
A very dark, muted purple (Black Market) that brings a creative, premium air. White text sits comfortably on it.
- ≈ Shadow Play#260D00
A very dark, muted brown (Shadow Play) that brings earthy, grounded warmth. White text sits comfortably on it.
Tags
Psychology
Meaning
Applications
Similar palettes
Accessibility
- On white18.42:1Excellent 5/5
- On black3.75:1Fair 2/5
- Color blind friendly97% similarExcellent 5/5
Contrast is the best any color in the palette reaches on a plain white or black background. Color blind friendly shows how much of the difference between the colors is kept under the common kinds of color blindness.
| Color | Role | HEX | Lightness |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≈ Slate | Text | #7C634F | 52% |
| ≈ Brown | Primary | #684916 | 43% |
| ≈ Charcoal | Surface | #01444E | 35% |
| ≈ Ink | Accent | #1F2743 | 28% |
| ≈ Ink | Background | #260D00 | 20% |
No palette color is readable as text on the background, so use #FEEFE2 for text.
:root {
--color-background: #260d00;
--color-surface: #01444e;
--color-primary: #684916;
--color-accent: #1f2743;
--color-text: #feefe2;
}
@theme {
--color-background: #260d00;
--color-surface: #01444e;
--color-primary: #684916;
--color-accent: #1f2743;
--color-ink: #feefe2;
}
About this palette
Shadow Brown Estuary is palette number 15,707 of Tintly's fifteen million generated palettes. It is a dark palette built on a split complementary scheme, and it is anchored by Brown (#684916), the most saturated of its five colors.
The palette reads as deep, dramatic and immersive. Its colors run from Slate (#7C634F) at the light end to Ink (#260D00) at the dark end, covering 20% to 52% perceptual lightness, so it has real range rather than five similar tones.
The five colors
1. ≈ Slate #7C634F: suggested role text. It is a orange color with 52% lightness and a chroma of 0.044.
2. ≈ Brown #684916: suggested role primary. It is a orange color with 43% lightness and a chroma of 0.078.
3. ≈ Charcoal #01444E: suggested role surface. It is a cyan color with 35% lightness and a chroma of 0.061.
4. ≈ Ink #1F2743: suggested role accent. It is a blue color with 28% lightness and a chroma of 0.053.
5. ≈ Ink #260D00: suggested role background. It is a orange color with 20% lightness and a chroma of 0.05.
Harmony and structure
One hue is paired with the two hues flanking its opposite. You keep most of the energy of a complementary scheme with less tension and more variety.
In this palette the hues fall in the orange, cyan and blue families, spread across 219 degrees of the OKLCH hue circle. Dark palettes keep chroma between 0.04 and 0.14, and lightness between 20% and 52%, which is why the set feels consistent.
Temperature and mood
Overall the palette is temperature-balanced: 3 of its 5 chromatic colors lean warm and 2 lean cool. Its average chroma of 0.057 makes the saturation soft.
That combination suits dark-mode interfaces, gaming and music apps and luxury packaging, and it is a good fit when you want a design to feel deep, dramatic and immersive.
Accessibility and contrast
The strongest pairing is Slate (#7C634F) with Ink (#260D00) at a contrast ratio of 3.29:1, which is WCAG AA large. Across all 10 possible pairs, 0 reach the 4.5:1 AA level for normal text and 1 more reach 3:1 for large text.
No other palette color reaches 4.5:1 on the background (#260D00), so this page suggests #FEEFE2 for text, a lightened Slate that reaches 16.36:1. Check any pair you use in the contrast checker.
All five colors stay distinguishable under protanopia, deuteranopia and tritanopia simulations, which is a good sign, although it is no substitute for testing with real users.
How to use it
Suggested roles: #260D00 as the background, #01444E for cards and surfaces, #684916 as the primary brand color, #1F2743 as the accent, and #FEEFE2 for text (a computed lighter shade of Slate, because no palette color is readable on that background). A reliable starting split is 60% background and surface, 30% primary and 10% accent.
Use the lone hue as the dominant brand color and the two flanking hues as secondary and accent colors.
Typical uses for a dark palette include dark-mode interfaces, gaming and music apps, luxury packaging and cinematic presentations. Open it in the generator to lock the colors you love and reroll the rest, or in the visualizer to see it on real layouts.
More palettes like this
Frequently asked questions
Is Shadow Brown Estuary accessible?
Its best pair reaches 3.29:1 (#7C634F on #260D00). 0 of 10 pairs reach WCAG AA for normal text. Always check the exact text and background you use.
Which color should be the main brand color?
Brown (#684916) is the most saturated color that is neither the lightest nor the darkest, which makes it the natural primary.
What is this palette good for?
It suits dark-mode interfaces, gaming and music apps, luxury packaging and cinematic presentations, where a deep, dramatic and immersive feel works well.